This short but immersive cinematic experience showcases the strengths of virtual reality.

By Joshua Hawkins, Greenlit Content

Depending on who you ask, immersion is often considered more important than gameplay when it comes to virtual reality, and while there is an assortment of cinematic applications out there, few provide the immersive feeling that Earthlight: Spacewalk captures so perfectly.

This outstanding game lets you take a spacewalk around the International Space Station (ISS) while utilizing astronaut tools and learning how to move in zero gravity. The experience is extremely short, taking only a few minutes to complete. But the immersion that it offers is well beyond almost anything else available on the market, and it showcases what is possible with VR when you focus on the beauty of things.

Of course, this isn’t the type of experience for everyone. The gameplay is short and miniscule. In fact, it holds your hand the entire way, which means you won’t get to openly explore anything—which could be a deal breaker. That said, Earthlight: Spacewalk isn’t meant to wow people with its gameplay.

Everything about the experience—from the visuals, animations, and even the movement within zero gravity—feels genuine and realistic. It’s a wonderful app, and as I made my way across the outside of the International Space Station, I was in awe of what we have accomplished by going to space. I’m not sure whether this was the developer’s intent… to celebrate one of mankind’s greatest achievements, but it’s definitely something that resonated in me.

As I said, though, the $9.95 (or free via Viveport Subscription) experience is brief, and many might not think it’s worth the asking price. Despite the fact that the game only takes roughly 15 minutes to complete, though, it’s among the coolest games you’ll play.

On top of that, it offers—by far—the most realistic spacewalk experience that you’ll find without actually going to the International Space Station. The amount of work and dedication that the developers at Opaque Space put into this title is clear, and if you’re as big a fan of space as I am, then I recommend checking this out. You won’t be disappointed.